THE Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, visited the Mid-West on Thursday July 29th to tour the COVID-19 Vaccination Centres in Limerick and Nenagh, and talk with the vaccination teams who have delivered more than 280,000 doses of vaccine against the disease.
The Minister will tour each of the centres, and talk to vaccinators who are at the frontline of the ongoing effort by UL Hospitals Group to ensure that every person in the Mid-West who is eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19 receives their vaccination. The Ministerial visit coincides with the announcement by UL Hospitals Group of walk-in vaccination clinics across the region this Bank Holiday weekend.
First-dose Pfizer vaccination against COVID-19 is being made available at set times in all three centres throughout the Bank Holiday weekend for anyone in the region aged 16 years and over who has not yet been vaccinated. UL Hospitals Group has organised the walk-in vaccination clinics at its three Mid-West COVID-19 Vaccination Centres for this coming Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
The clinics will be held at Limerick Racecourse this Saturday and Sunday afternoon (July 31st and August 1st) from 1.30pm to 6pm; and Monday morning, August 2nd, from 8.30am to 12 Noon; and at Ennis (West County Hotel) and Nenagh (Abbey Court Hotel) on Saturday and Sunday morning, 8.30am to 12 Noon; and Monday afternoon from 1.30pm to 6pm. All clinic dates and times will be published on www.hse.ie
Only the Cominaty® (i.e. Pfizer BioNTech) MRNA vaccine will be offered at these Bank Holiday Weekend clinics.
Those who wish to attend the clinics do not require an appointment, and do not need to register in advance on the national vaccine registration portal.
For identification purposes, anyone attending these clinics for a vaccine should bring with them their birth certificate, or a photo ID. Those with queries may contact the local HSE approved helpline number on 087-9681240.
There is no requirement for a parent/guardian to accompany a 16 or 17 year old. Those who wish to be accompanied will be facilitated where possible.
With COVID-19 vaccination nationally and locally at an advanced stage – more than 280,000 doses of vaccine have been delivered under the UL Hospitals Group vaccination programme to date – and given the concerns about the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 and a fourth wave of COVID-19, UL Hospitals Group is participating in a concerted national effort to maximise uptake for vaccination.
The walk-in clinics will be held right across the country throughout the holiday weekend, and UL Hospitals Group COVID-19 vaccination teams continue to work to ensure that everyone in the region receives a vaccine, in line with national guidance.
Nationally, registration and uptake for the vaccine has been strong in Ireland, higher than hoped for in all age groups so far. In those largely completed age groups, over 40 years, we see uptake of well over 90%. In younger age groups, which are still going through the process, we see registration at the following high levels:
– 30-39: 86.1%
– 20-29: 74.4%
– 16-17: 87%
All these age groups are still in the process of registering and these percentages will increase. The current goal is to reach 90% uptake in all age groups 16 and over, and it is expected that 12-15-year-olds will be invited to get vaccinated shortly.
In the Mid-West over the past week, to close of business on Sunday July 25th, a total of 17,448 doses of COVID-19 vaccine were dispensed across the vaccination centres at Limerick Racecourse (10,195), Ennis (3,353) and Nenagh (3,900).
This brings total vaccinations delivered under the UL Hospitals Group programme to date to 280,202. This does not include the vaccination work undertaken in this region by our colleagues in HSE Mid-West Community Healthcare, the National Ambulance Service, General Practitioners and pharmacists.
We urge any person 16 and over who has not yet been vaccinated to avail of the opportunity being extended by UL Hospitals Group this weekend, and we urge anyone with queries about COVID-19 vaccine to contact the national helpline on 1850-241850.
